Pad Thai

[Kristine]

Modified from this recipe (http://www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/thailand/padthai.html) to be LC friendly. Here are my modified ingredients:

1 275-g package konnyaku noodles
1/4 c tamarind paste
1/4 cup coconut oil
4 oz skinless boneless chicken breast (I omitted this because my b/f is vegetarian.)
4 oz extra firm tofu
6 tbsp peanuts
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp Splenda
4 drops Stevia (you could omit this and use more Splenda, but I don't like the bitter 'cooked Splenda' aftertaste)
juice of half of a lemon (or one lime)
1 clove garlic, minced
8 large shrimps, shelled and deveined (50 oz) (I omitted this because I hate shrimp)
2 eggs
1 cup bean sprouts
2 stems green onion
1/4 tsp dried chili flakes
1/4 red bell pepper

1. Cut and untie the noodles, if they're long and tied. Place in a colander and rinse well. Set aside.
2. If your tamarind paste is thick and gritty, prepare it with water as in the instructions at the above website. The kind I bought was in a jar and smooth, like smooth peanut butter, so the straining process was an exercise in futility.

Other than that, the recipe can be prepared the same way as at the above website. Be sure to drain the noodles very well. I failed to do this and had a bit of a puddle at the bottom of the pan. I poured some of the liquid off.

Tweaks I'll probably make next time: more bean sprouts and more green onion. I'm also going to try sqeezing the water out of the noodles with cheesecloth or something.

Makes two very filling main dish servings.

I loved how this turned out and it'll be a regular dish from now on! :yum:

Here are the stats for half of the recipe as I made it: 624 calories, 49 g fat, 21 g protein, 30 g total carbs - 15 g fiber (!!) = 15 net carbs. This was very filling, and if that carb count is too high for you, you would be more than satisfied having it as a side dish. If you made it with the chicken and shrimp, you could easily stretch it out to 3 or 4 servings and that would cut your carb count. The oil could be decreased, too, if you wanted to cut calories. The original recipe called for a high amount to stop the rice noodles from sticking.

http://forum.lowcarber.org/gallery/files/5/7/0/1/pad-thai.jpg

[PilotGal]

Looks lovely, and I bet it was most tastey!

[Kristine]

Oh, it was to die for. :yum:

Just a suggestion for the uninitiated, though, about the fish sauce:

Do not ask what it is or how it's made; and do not smell it.

;)

[steveed]

Since this is only my favorite dish in the universe, can't wait to make some...once fish sauce is cooked, the smell and character totally change...thank god. :lol:

[steveed]

incedentally, you could replace the tamarind paste and tamarind soaking water with 5 Tbsp of SF catsup to get the carb count lower, not exactly the same flavor, but close!

[scott123]

Kristine, what's the carb count on 1/4 C. of tamarind paste?

You might want to try simmering the konnyaku noodles for a few minutes and then draining/using in the recipe. It helps to remove some of the 'off' flavor of the brine they're packed in.

Also, although some people are okay with cooking citrus juices, I think the general consensus is that they lose a lot of their brightness this way. I would add the lime juice at the very end of cooking rather than the beginning.

Back in my vegan days (a very looong time ago), I used to take extra firm tofu, slice it in 1/2" slices, marinate it in peanut satay sauce and bake it for about 1 hour at 350. Then I'd use it in Pad Thai. It's some extra work, but your vegetarian BF might appreciate it :) Or you can buy baked tofu at your Asian grocer. I've seen a few Thai restaurants use this. It won't be quite as good as homemade baked stuff, but it will be a little denser/meatier tasting than using the extra firm tofu as is. If you do buy it, make sure you get the unflavored baked tofu, as the 5 spice version definitely doesn't work with Pad Thai.

[steveed]

Okay, I'm not Kristine and didn't mean to hijack anything but...
I just did a search and 1 cup of Tamarind pulp is 75 grams minus 6.1 fiber, a quarter cup would be about 17.225 after fiber minus.

http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/9322.html

[PML]

Kristine,

Here is a great informational page on konnyaku noodles: Konjac Noodles Demystified (http://www.lowcarbeating.com/article_showeach.php?id=419)

She suggests sauteing the noodles in hot oil to prevent them from "weeping" excess liquid. Just a thought.

Phyllis

[Kristine]

Thanks for the info Steve, Scott and PML. :thup:

I just did a search and 1 cup of Tamarind pulp is 75 grams minus 6.1 fiber, a quarter cup would be about 17.225 after fiber minus.

I think this might vary by brand and style of tamarind paste. My jar has listed 8 g total carbs, 4 g fiber per half cup. Could be rounding errors, though, since it's listed by the Tbsp.

The sugar-free ketchup trick sounds like a good idea. :idea:

[alsmez]

Tried this last night with the SF ketchup - it was not bad, although it didn't really taste like pad thai. I'll have to experiment. The shirataki noodles were actually pretty good - this was my first time using them and I was pleasantly surprised! I did saute them in a little oil first to remove the excess water and I had no trouble with "weeping".